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When backpacking in other countries, sometimes you need a rest day. After several nights of three to five hours of sleep, my body was beginning to slow down. I woke up my first day in Split still exhausted but ate breakfast and drank a cafe latte in hopes that would jump start my day.The hostel had a coffee machine so after I making a latte, I followed it by an espresso. Neither woke me up. Matt walked into the foyer and asked if I was ready for our beach day. I shoved one more chocolate croissant down and ran back to my bunk to grab my suit.
We walked down the alley ways of old run down houses. All with the potential to be beautiful, but spray paint and graffiti overpowered many of the buildings and benches along the way. I was warned in Croatia that Split is a stinky town. Every other turn, the smell of sewer bombards your nostrils. I was eager to get out of Split and off to the island tomorrow. Hvar was the main reason anyone comes to Split. It's really just a place to stop and grab the ferry. There are only a few ferry's a day that transport to Hvar and tickets can only be bought the morning of the day you are traveling. Ticket sales start at 8am and the line fills up very fast, so Matt and I had plans to wake up early tomorrow to buy ours.
Once we reached the main drag along the water, I asked Matt if he minded if we shopped for a hat. The sun is so intense in Croatia and every tourist we passed on the streets had on a different style. Booths along the market sold fedora hats in every color. We stopped at several stands while I tried different styles. I bargained with the vendors until I found a beige hat with a yellow stripe.
We arrived to the beach hot, sweaty and ready to jump in the aqua sea. Very few beaches in Croatia are sand. Most are lined with tiny pebbles and you have to buy chairs. This beach was the first sand beach I has seen in Croatia. We sprawled our towels out on the beach and cooled off in the bright blue sea.
Laying out today was exactly what how I envisioned spending my time on vacation. I've seen beautiful beaches, but to look out at the crystal clear blue water and see your toes through the water was unreal. The water felt so cool on my skin and I love the fact that you don't have to worry about sharks.
After laying out the whole morning, Matt and I searched for a lunch spot. We found an outdoor patio off an old stone castle like restaurant. The patio was tucked away on the side of the building, camouflaged with ivy. Everything in Croatia is very inexpensive. Beers or Pivos are only 15 Kuna. We decided to have a feast for lunch and ordered whatever our hearts desired. Two Pivos, a meat and cheese plate, tuna pate and chicken salads later our bill came to only 130 Kuna.
We squared away our bill and headed back into town. Matt wanted to do the walking tour but my body was in disagreement. I needed a day of rest. I went back to the hostel and laid down. New roommates came in and out of my dorm. Some Aussies unpacked into the bunks and asked for recommendations around town. I gave them a few suggestions and rolled back over into a deep sleep. Around 11pm they woke me back up as they climbed back into their bunks. I talked to them for a while and they shared cookies with me since I never made it out to dinner.
I often find myself being the only American traveler and it always makes me laugh when people from other countries tip toe around until you tell them it's fine and you know they generally love to make fun of Americans. They like to poke fun of our government, our habits and our debt. I was too tired to have any good comebacks but ripped on one of the Aussies pajama pants. You're welcome America.
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Dwayne "Bring back 'BOOK IT' and my personal pan p Stop lettin folks talks about our country! Well, it is what it is. Your post made me sleepy. All this reading about Julie traveling is exhausting. With all the reading I need a rest day! At least you talked about someone's pajamas......